the sme's guide to working with writers

(C ) 2017 JANICE KING, FREELANCE TECHNICAL COPYWRITER WWW. WRITESPARK. COM

W O R K I N GW I T HW R I T E R S

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THE SME' S GUIDE TO WORKING WITH WRITERS

H o w t e c hs u b j e c t m a t t e r e x p e r t s

c a n h e l p m a r k e t i n gp r o d u c e b e t t e r c o n t e n tw i t h l e s s f r u s t r a t i o n &

w a s t e d t i m e



B A F F L E DA R E Y O U

B Y Y O U R C O MP A N Y ' S WR I T I N GP R O C E S S ?

For a SME, the process used by marketing to develop awhite paper, brochure, datasheet, or technical article canfeel like an unknown path with several unexpected twists.

This gide will help you understand the road ahead ... andhow you can help the project make a smoother journey.



P R O D U C T

W R I T I N G

Y O U K N O W T H E

T H E WR I T E R K N O WS G O O D

For many SMEs, the thought of having to writeanything brings on anxiety and avoidance.

Others enjoy writing as a way to share theirknowledge. They can produce a good firstdraft for technical articles, blog posts, or whitepapers.

But writing promotional copy requires adifferent mindset, knowledge, and skills thanwriting explanatory text. These are the talentsthat a good technical copywriter brings tomarketing content.

Respect that. By focusing on providing goodinformation about the product or topic, you canhelp the writer produce good content.



I N P U T

W O R D S &V I S U A L S

WH E N I T C O ME S T O

WR I T E R S N E E D

You might assume that a writer wants onlytext input: background reports, productspecification documents, and the like.

And certainly many marketing projects startwith an interview call where the writer collectsexplanations to use in the project.

But writers also work with visuals and oftengain a better understanding from a productdiagram, illustration, photo, or other image.

Anything you would show to a potentialcustomer for the product, the writer shouldsee too.



M U L T I P L E

B E T T E R

D O C U ME N T S

MA Y B E

Watch for the temptation to create a "kitchensink" document.

You know the type: Usually it's a lengthywhite paper that presents everything a readerwill ever need to know about the topic.

The problem: Most customers and prospectswon't read that amount of detailedinformation.

If you have a lot of useful content to share,work with the writer and the marketing teamto identify how to use multiple documents(and multiple formats) to present it for thegreatest appeal and impact.



F E A T U R E

B E N E F I T

J U S T B E C A U S E I T ' S A

D O E S N ' T ME A N I T ' S A

Your enthusiasm for the product isunderstandable. But as a SME, you're likelyto be fascinated by the product's manyfeatures, especially the newest "cool" ones.

However, a feature's presence in the productdoes not necessarily make it a benefit.

Here's an easy way to remember thedifferences between a feature and a benefit:

A feature focuses on the product, not theuser. (What it is or does)

A benefit focuses on user, not the product.(What it means for the user's work, activity,life, etc.)



WRITER

WRITING

L E T T H E

D O T H E

If you are providing a first draft, don't struggleto make it a masterpiece.

That's the writer's job.

You can just focus on providing complete andaccurate input. Then let the writer transform itinto a polished document.



MARKETING

F L U F FD O E S N ' T WA N T

E I T H E R

Understand that marketing isn't aboutcreating and spreading "fluff."

Marketers and copywriters are indeed tryingto give customers clear and usefulinformation.

There are both legal and practical reasons todo so, especially for technical products wheredetails can make a difference in marketsuccess.

So don't think you need to "dumb down" yourinput. Ask the marketing team for insights intothe target reader for the piece and let themguide you on the type and level of input theyneed.



P R O C E S S

P O L I T I C S

T H E WR I T I N G

I S N ' T F O R I N T E R N A L

You know the white paper that never got donebecause the product team couldn't agree onwhat it should really say?

Resolve your own disagreements aboutcomments made by others; don't make thewriter be the referee.

Don't use the writing process as a politicaltactic for advocating your point of view aboutproduct capabilities, direction, target market,etc.

And don't use it as a substitute for theinperson thinking and discussion that needsto happen about the document's topic or theproduct itself.



W R I T I N G

D E L I V E R

I F I T ' S I N

Y O U H A V E T O

It's easy to get caught up in the vision forfuture product capabilities. And if a feature willbe ready to release soon, it can be temptingto describe it as if it is already available.

But remember, if a product feature is stated inany promotional material, your company hasa legal requirement to deliver it.

Don't let a brochure or data sheet promoteanything other than what a customer can buytoday or at a definite, stated date in the future.



REVIEWER

COMMENTS

T O B E A G O O D

G I V E S P E C I F I C

The single best thing you can do as a SME:Be specific in your comments when markingup a document draft.

If the text isn't clear, indicate the specific textthat needs to change and what it should sayinstead. Don't just mark it as "wrong."

Also, mark what text should be deletedentirely.

If you're not certain about whether astatement is true, find out before marking yourcomment or give the writer a source to check.



RULES

PROJECT

S O R R Y , T H E

D O A P P L Y T O Y O U R

Is the draft not quite what you were expectingin terms of text structure and style?

Most likely it's because the writer mustcomply with corporate publication rules andstyle.

You may not like those rules, but yourmaterial probably isn't "special" enough to goagainst them.

It may not be how you would write it, buttrying to argue for an exception to the rulesmay be futile.

Your time will be better spent making sure theinformation is complete, relevant, andaccurate.



W R I T E RD O Y O U N E E D A

F O R Y O U R T E C H MA R K E T I N GC O N T E N T ?

Hello! I'm Janice King, a freelance technicalcopywriter who helps technology companiesaround the world produce clear, compellingmarketing content.

I'm a skilled interviewer too... drawing the rightinformation from SMEs and presenting theirknowledge in a way that's clear, relevant, andengaging.

How can I help with your projects? Let's talk:

Email: [email protected]: +01 425 3911886

http://www.writespark.com/

the sme's guide to working with writers

Technology